Kandice had first developed the condition as a teenager, but it was merely a small patch of discoloration on her hand that quickly went away. This time, she was “really freaked out” to see the spots spreading rapidly shortly before she was due to walk down the aisle.

“I was worried about how other people would see me. People would stop and stare at me, and kids always ask, ‘what’s on her face?’” she recalled.

While vitiligo is commonly believed to be an autoimmune disorder, emotional trauma is known to exacerbate the symptoms. And although Kandace’s first instinct was to hide the evidence behind makeup, with the support of her husband-to-be, Elliot, she learned to “embrace” the marks covering her skin.